"Poor" Dishes of my Childhood Continue onto my Adulthood

When I was growing up in Abruzzo, the cooking was simple cooking or referred to as ‘la cucina povera’ (poor kitchen). The vegetables and fruits of the region allowed for the simplicity. There was no need to hide or disguise the vibrant ingredients in our dishes. The lands produced vegetables whose savor cannot be equaled and needed no lavish sauce to disguise the taste.

Many of the foods I grew up eating have become my favorite foods and I realize how fortunate I am to never have to transition to eating healthier foods, as I was already there from childhood. Today, freshness is the first rule of my cooking. I demand that my produce be fresh, fresh, and that cooking not hide the taste.

Here is a sample of a "poor" dish. It's called (Verdure con Pizza di Granturco) or (Pizz di Grandenie - dialect Abruzzese). Simply, it's a cornbread served with mixed greens.

Cornbread cooked over hot ashes

In Italy, we cooked this pizza on a burning fireplace. The pizza was placed on the hot stones and covered with a cup (coppa) and in turn covered with ash, embers and moderate heat.

Cornbread

1 lb. cornmeal
4 cups of boiling water
Pinch of salt

Poor the cornmeal on the counter and make a well. Add salt. Poor the boiling water slowly into the well and mix with a fork until all the water if finished and a soft mixture is obtained. Place the cornmeal mixture on a greased baking pan and flatten it to 1" thick. If mixture is hot, dampen your hands in cold water to flatten the pizza. (I prefer thin rather than thick). Cook in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 50 minutes. Once cooked it will be crunchy outside and softer inside.

Cooked cornbread or pizza

Serve with Garlic Broccoli Rape: Cook 1 bunch broccoli rape in boiling water 1 minute; drain well. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 3 sliced garlic cloves; saute 1 minute. Add broccoli rape and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook 5 to 10 minutes.

Any kind of greens may be used. In this recipe, I used swiss chard and dandelions.

Pizze e Fui

Cut cornbread in chunks and mix with greens

Our favorite is mixed greens and cornbread served with a side dish of fried sardines and dry peppers.

 Pizz, fui e sardell

Enjoy the music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtV3HokEGQQ

http://www.wsj.com/articles/want-great-longevity-and-health-it-takes-a-village-1432304395

Images: ©2010 - La Casa e Il Giardino

Scrippelle Abruzzesi - RECIPE

At our home, it's not Christmas without the traditional Scrippelle Abruzzesi. 

At the request of my blog readers, here is the recipe for Scrippelle.

Scrippelle sugared and ready to eat
All photos - Copyright - La Casa e Il Giardino

Good scrippelle must be light and airy inside (not doughy). In order to have light and airy scrippelle, the dough must be worked well.

In my childhood, homemakers worked the dough by hand inside a rectangular wooden vat (la misolle). What a job! Today, thanks to a good mixer and dough hook, the job is much easier.

Ingredients

1 kilo (approx. 2 lbs. and 4 oz.) of flour

50 grams (2 oz.) of fresh yeast (I buy it from the bakery - or pizzeria) 

2 eggs

2 potatoes, boiled and riced

32 oz. tepid or lukewarm water (approx.)

3 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Boil the potatoes and rice them. Melt the yeast well into the tepid or lukewarm water. Place flour in a very large bowl. Mix in the eggs and potatoes. Add water a little at a time. Consistency of dough should be soft and elastic but not watery. The dough should be well worked.   Place a batch of dough in the mixer bowl and work it well with a dough hook (10 minutes).   Remove the worked dough and place into a very large pot.  Add another batch and so on until all the dough is finished.  Place the worked dough in a warm spot, cover it and let it rise.

Note: Dough should not be too watery or too dry as it makes a difference in the results.

Dough doubled in size

The dough should double in size within an hour or so. In the meantime, place the vegetable oil in a deep roaster over a burner. Heat oil until it gets very hot over medium heat. 

Stretch and hold

With your fingers take a little dough, the size of an egg, and stretch it over the hot oil very slowly. (It's an art - it takes practice).   If you have trouble doing the long scrippelle, you can take a short cut.   Grab spoonfuls of dough and drop them into the hot oil.   Fry until golden. 

Place fried dough on absorbent paper and add granulated sugar.

Blood Oranges, Town Crier and my childhood - Arance Sanguine, Banditore e la mia fanciullezza

I ricordi, vivono con noi, non ci abbandonano mai, un piccolo gesto, un profumo, un'immagine puo' portare la mente lontano....

Ecco ieri ho comprato delle arancie rosse.  Il colore e il profumo delle arance, come una scintilla, mi riporto alla mia fanciullezza e la vendita delle arance di Sicilia in piazza.

Nel dopoguerra, non c'era la TV, ne la radio e I giornali erano un lusso....esisteva il Banditore!

Prima dell'avvento dei mezzi di comunicazione di massa, quando molti non sapevano leggere, molti annunci erano fatti dal banditore (lu bannitor). Il banditore con la sua tromba a corno ottonata, girava tutte le strade del paese annunziando il prodotto in vendita. In questo caso, arance rosse della Sicilia.

“Attenzione, attenzione; è arrivato il venditore con le sue belle arance sanguine (rosse) dalla Sicilia.” Correte tutti in piazza…”.

                                  

Quante mangiate io e mamma ci siamo fatte!

PAN DI SPAGNA FARCITO (ITALIAN SPONGE CAKE WITH CREAM FILLING)

Pan di Spagna refers to a sponge cake with layers filled with various creams.  In Abruzzo, we refer to it as Pizza Dolce.  Pan di Spagna can also be eaten by itself with fruit or it can be used as a base for Zuppa Inglese.





Pan di Spagna (Pizza Dolce)

In my childhood,  we used to wait for the holidays to eat elaborate desserts.  Pan di Spagna was prepared for Easter Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It was also used as a wedding cake. Usually, made with 20 eggs, cut crosswise into three discs soaked in rum, liqueur and espresso coffee and then filled with creams - a chocolate, an almond and a vanilla. The surface was sprinkled with white powdered sugar.    

Today, I continue to make Pan di Spagna at Easter and to celebrate special occasions

Celebrating my daughter's birthday

Ingredients

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon  salt

1/2 cup strong espresso coffee, cooled
1/4 cup rum (or any liquor)

1 teaspoon lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice

butter and flour for the pan (In Italy we used wax paper to fit in a 10” round pan)

Directions

• Sift the flour, and measure
• Beat egg whites until frothy; sprinkle salt over the top and continue beating until stiff enough to form peaks but not dry; gradually beat in sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time.
• Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored; add lemon rind and juice; continue beating until very thick.
• Gently fold in beaten whites.
• Gradually fold in flour sifting 1/4 cup at a time.
• Butter and flour a 10" cake pan. 
• Bake in moderate oven (325 degrees) about 1 hour; remove from oven.

Invert pan and let stand until cooled. (Remove wax paper, if used).

When cool, cut crosswise into two discs.  Soak each disc with cold espresso coffee, rum or any liquor of your choice.

Add creams over each disc.

Dust white confectionery sugar over the surface.

TIP

Remember, first of all, once the sponge cake is in the oven do not open the door until the cake is finished cooking otherwise the sponge will deflate.  

you may also like:

Traditional Easter Desserts from Abruzzo (Dolci Pasquali)

Brioche con crema, Cream Puffs,Profiteroles

POLPETTE DI CACIO e UOVA (Meatless balls made with cheese and eggs)

Or as known in my birthplace "Pallotte Cace e Ove".  This is a typical dish which flavors   bring me back to my childhood in Casalbordino, (Abruzzo):  A time when meat was scarce and only seasonal products were used.  A time when dishes were marked by the rhythm of the season and modified only by the arrival of Sundays and religious holidays.

Eggs, cheese and day-old bread are mixed together, shaped into balls and fried, then simmered in sugo semplice (meatless tomato sauce).

Sauce or Sugo semplice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 lb. ripe tomatoes finally chopped (alternate 2 cans good San Marzano canned tomatoes)
Sprigs of parsley and basil
Hot pepper (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Heat the oil in saucepan over moderate heat, add the onion and cook until golden.  Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients.  Simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ingredients for Pallotte:

1. 2 cups of mixed grated cheeses (my choice Gran Padano, Parmigiano e Pecorino)
2. 4 eggs
3. 1 cup of stale, artisan bread, crusts removed and soaked in water and squeezed dried
4. 1 or 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
5. A few sprigs of finely chopped fresh parsley
6. Salt and pepper
7. 1/2 cup olive oil for frying

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.  Let the mixture rest for a while.

Use damp hands to form 1 1/2-to-2-inch balls. (I like them oval or egg shaped).

Shallow fry in olive oil until golden brown, turning the balls as needed so they brown evenly.

Once all of the pallotte are fried, transfer them to the tomato sauce (sugo semplice) and let them simmer for a good 30 minutes.  The pallotte will swell as they cook and resemble sponges.

Serve immediately.

Under the Shade of the Mulberry Tree among Songs and Tobacco

Under the Shade of the Mulberry Tree among Songs and Tobacco

Sotto l'Ombra del Gelso tra Canti e Tabacco

Mulberry tree

In late March, as I pruned our small mulberry tree, my taste buds took off remembering things from childhood my mind had almost forgotten.

My childhood was spent in Abruzzo, post World War II.  We lived in the city but we also owned a small farmhouse (masseria).  The farmhouse was open from early spring through late fall and mainly used to provide shelter during the harvesting of wheat, tobacco and grapes.  In front of the farmhouse, there was an impressive and ancient mulberry tree. 

It was beautiful but it was also functional.  Its fruit-laden green branches shaded our family and others from the hot summer sun, especially during the tobacco harvest. 

Tobacco field

Harvesting tobacco took place from late June through September.  It was grueling work because the green tobacco leaves had to be gathered at dawn and stringed, all within the same day.  My father, together with other family members, would do the “cropping”, (pulled leaves from the base of the plants).  The large leaves slapped their faces and dark tobacco sap, which dried into a dark gum, covered their bodies. 

Woman "cropper"

The “stringing” was done by my mother, female relatives and myself. We sat on the ground in a circle under the mulberry tree and at the center laid a mountain of delicately assembled green tobacco leaves.

Women and children "stringing"

The “stringing” was accomplished by using a long, flat, steel needle with string.  A strong string was inserted into the eye of the needle.  The leaves were strung one by one at the base of the rib, all in the same direction.  As the left hand held the big tobacco leaves from the stalk, the right hand pushed the needle through each leaf. 

Stringing needle (Ago)

After filling the needle, one hand held the tip of the needle and the other pushed the row of leaves to the bottom of the string creating bundles or necklaces (crolli). The women’s movements were quick, methodical and mechanical. 

Bundles (Crolli)

Once bundled, the necklaces were hung on wooden structures (telai) in such a way as not to touch the ground.  Now, the tobacco was ready for sun-curing.

Telai

In the sweltering afternoons, not to fall asleep, the women sang in chorus.  Once in a while, with bitter-tasting hands from the tobacco sap, we managed to reach for some plump and sugary mulberries.

Mulberries (gelsi)

Every summer, I seek to recapture those childhood memories by reaching for a few mulberries and singing few verses that remain engraved in my heart.

 

http://youtu.be/WJyHLVxpk7k - Amor dammi quel fazzolettino

http://youtu.be/CQhnBBVuGk0 - Reginella Campagnola

https://youtu.be/T0VFLONPr3U - Calabrisella

SCRIPPELLE ABRUZZESI

Scrippelle Casalesi
All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino – picasaweb

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE

BUONE FESTE A TUTTI

LOCAVORE - Before the Term Existed

Locavore – A person who eats food grown locally.

Italians were locavores long before the word even existed and my family is no exception.  My husband, his sister and I have been locavores all our lives. 

Spanish lettuce

My husband and sister attend to the vegetable garden and I attend to my perennial flower garden.  The vegetable garden, for my sister-in-law (95) is her fountain of youth.  She is forever weeding; many times coming in touch with poison ivy.

Our perennial flower garden

You will never see us relaxing on lawn chairs or poolside.  It’s not our style.  We sow, turn over soil, spread manure, weed and harvest the crops.  In Italy,  my parents were known as contadini (farm workers).  We cultivated our taste for seasonal ingredients in Abruzzo, Italy, post World War II.  We ate tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplants in the summer and cabbage, beans, cornmeal pizza and polenta in the winter.  Our desserts were fruits - watermelon, peaches and grapes in the summer; apples, oranges, walnuts, almonds and dry figs in the winter.   






I can still smell those tiny apples called (mele zitelle) encased in a drawer of a large dresser just below the linens.  
Che profumo!

Like all other Italians of our generation, we attend to a grapevine and a fig tree.  We can tomatoes and we make wine.

Now, that Mrs. Obama planted the White House garden, growing one’s food has become fashionable.  To us cafoni (poor peasants), it’s always been common sense that fresh food tastes better, it’s healthier and good for the environment.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/want-great-longevity-and-health-it-takes-a-village-1432304395

Traditional EASTER Desserts from Abruzzo (Dolci Pasquali)

As mentioned in my Easter post, here are some photos of our Easter delicacies.

Pizza Dolce - Pan di Spagna - Sponge cake Italian style
Many years ago used as a wedding cake, this cake is similar to a sponge cake cut crosswise into three or four discs soaked in rum,  liqueur and espresso coffee.  It is composed of three layers of different creams, a chocolate, an almond and a vanilla.  The surface is spread with white powdered sugar.

Pastoni or Small fiadoncini

Half-moon shaped baked cheese pies filled with sweetened ricotta and basket cheese coarsely grated.

Fiadone
Cheese pie made with three different types of semi-dry (mild and sharp) cheeses.

Dough for Fiadone

1 pound flour
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling for Fiadone

1 1/2 pounds of grated, semi-dry cheeses (ranging from mild to sharp)
7 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
Black pepper to taste

Work together the ingredients for the dough.
Knead until dough is soft and smooth. Let the dough rest.
Prepare the filling. Mix all the ingredients for the filling, stirring vigorously.
Roll dough into a circle. 
Grease pan with butter and line with dough.  Pour the filling into the lined pan and fold the excess dough around the edges inside the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

BACCALA' (SALTED COD) and POTATOES

Baccala' or salted cod is probably the most consumed fish in Abruzzo. It's hard to meet someone from our region that does not appreciate this particular fish. And for good reasons, since cod is nutritionally good as it is low in calories, low fat and rich in omega 3.

Since cod is dried and salted, in order to make it edible, it needs to be rehydrated. When purchasing cod, it must have a pleasant smell, although very sharp, and it should appear white and soft.



The first thing to do is to rinse the salted cod under cold running water in order to remove all the visible salt and then cut into 5” pieces. Place the cut cod in a bowl and fill it with cold water to cover the pieces. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and change the water every six hours or so. This process should last at least 48 hours. You want to make sure that the cod is not salty.

Baccala' soaking

The traditional way of cooking baccala’ in Abruzzo, is to cook it with herbs and spices in a pan or oven, accompanied by seasonal vegetables. It is also excellent floured and fried or roasted and made into a salad.

In our household, we prefer BACCALA' e PATATE

All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino - picasaweb

Ingredients - 4 persons

3 lbs. boneless baccala' or salted cod
4 potatoes cubed
1 large onion chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 celery stalks with leaves chopped

Procedure

In a large pot, add oil and chopped onion. Cook until golden. Add tomatoes, potatoes and celery. Simmer for 15 minutes covered. Add pieces of baccala' or cod and continue to cook until potatoes are tender. Serve with toasted bread or cornmeal pizza.

Another great "poor" dish from Abruzzo.

C'e' La Luna (song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pflp9MdhXSM

Translation -

There is a moon in the middle of the sea
Weh, Ma I want to get married
I do not know who to give you
Ma, you worry about it.
O ma, fried fish baccala, O ma fried fish baccala

If you marry a fisherman,
He goes and comes
But he always has a fish in his hands
And if his fantasy, strikes him
He may make a fish out of you.
Chorus - O Mamma, piscia fritta baccala, O Mamma piscia fritta baccala

(woodmaker)

(plane)
Chorus (O Mamma...)

(shoemaker)
(hammer)
Chorus (O Mamma...)

(farmer)
(plow)
Chorus (O Mamma...)

(butcher)
(sausage)
Chorus (O Mamma...)

CIFF E CIAFF - Braised Pork Belly with Garlic and Olives

The pig has sustained the Italian population for centuries with salumi and prosciutti.  Pork is in fact universally recognized as the "King of the table."  Pork was and continues to be a forever-present meat staple in the Abruzzese kitchen.  So important in fact, that the Pig Museum (Il Museo del maiale) opened in Carpineto Sinello, Abruzzo. 

CIFF e CIAFF is a characteristic dish usually served during the killing ritual of the pig.  The dish utilizes the”guanciale" or the “cheek” portion of the pig between the head and the shoulder.  Guanciale is similar to bacon in composition.


Pork ciff e ciaff  with broccoli di rape
All photos - Copyright - ©2011 - La Casa e Il Giardino - picasaweb




Keeping with the tradition, I still make this dish but instead of guanciale I prefer using pork belly.



Ingredients - 4 persons

2 lb. pork belly with skin

4 tablespoons of olive oil
8 whole garlic cloves with skin on

1/2 cup cured olives

8 dry red chilies

Salt and pepper

Procedure

Cut pork belly into cubes about 1" in size.  Add salt and pepper.  In a hot, cast iron skillet, add the oil and meat.  Cook over medium heat about 15 minutes.  Cover and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Uncover.  Crack the whole garlic cloves and add to meat. Cook until garlic is tender and brown.  Add the olives and dry red peppers and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.  The meat should be brown and crisp.  Serve with broccoli di rape or any other greens.

As you can see, pork is KING on our table.

Meathead Goldwyn: Lip Smackin' Pigskin Cracklins for Game Snackin